Chocolate Mint Softies
Chocolate Mint Softies is the seventh recipe featured in Candy for Christmas. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position. Ingredients * Cookies ** 2 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate ** 1/2 (1 stick, 1/4 pounds) butter at room temperature ** 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed ** 1/3 cup white (granulated) sugar ** 1/2 teaspoon baking soda ** 1/2 teaspoon salt ** 1 large egg ** 1 teaspoon peppermint extract ** 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract (if you can find it, just use vanilla) ** 3/4 cup sour cream ** 2 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it) ** 1/4 cup very coarsely chopped pecan pieces (you'll want some big pieces) * Chocolate Butter Frosting ** 2 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate ** 1/3 cup butter, room temperature ** 2 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar ** 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract ** Approximately 2 Tablespoons cream (or milk) Directions * Cookies ** Line your cookie sheets with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Leave little "ears" of foil sticking up on the side, large enough to grab later. (This is so you can slide the cookies and the foil right off the sheet when they're baked.) ** Unwrap the squares of chocolate and break them apart. Put them in a small microwave-safe bowl. (I use a 16-ounce measuring cup.).''Melt them for 90 seconds on HIGH. Stir them until they're smooth and set them aside to cool while you mix up your cookie dough. '1' ** Combine the butter and sugars together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat them on medium speed until they're smooth. This should take less than a minute. ** Add the baking soda and salt, and resume beating on medium again for another minute, or until they're incorporated. ** Add the egg and beat on medium until the batter is smooth ''(an additional minute should do it.) Add the peppermint and chocolate extracts, and mix for about 30 seconds. ** Shut off the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Then add the melted chocolate and mix again for another minute on medium speed. ** Shut off the mixer and scrape down the bowl again. At low speed, mix in half of the flour. When that's incorporated, mix in the sour cream. ** Scrape down the bowl again and add the rest of the flour. Beat until it's fully incorporated. ** Remove the bowl from the mixer and give it a stir with a spoon. Mix in the pecan pieces by hand. (A firm rubber spatula works nicely.) ** Use a teaspoon to spoon the dough onto the foil-lined cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (If the dough is too sticky for you to work with, chill it for a half-hour or so, and try again.) Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F., for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they rise and become firm. ** Slide the foil from the cookie sheets and onto a wire rack. Let the cookies cool on the rack while the next sheet of cookies is baking. When the next sheet of cookies is ready, pull the cooled cookies onto the counter or table and slide the foil with the hot cookies onto the rack. Keep alternating until all the dough has been baked. ** When all the cookies are cool, set them out on waxed paper for frosting. * Frosting ** Unwrap the squares of chocolate and break them apart. Put them in a small microwave-safe bowl. (I use a 16-ounce measuring cup.) Melt them for 90 seconds on HIGH. Stir them until they're smooth and set them aside to cool. ** When the chocolate is cool, mix in the butter. Then stir in the powdered sugar. (There's no need to sift unless it has big lumps.) ** Mix in the vanilla extract and the cream. Beat the frosting until it's of spreading consistency. 2 ** Frost your cookies and leave the on the paper until the frosting has hardened. (If you're like me, you'll sneak one while the frosting is still soft, just to test it, of course.) ** When the frosting has hardened, arrange the cookies on a pretty platter and enjoy. They store well in a covered container if you separate the layers with wax paper. 3 Yield Approximately 6 dozen cookies. Hannah's Notes 1 Mixing this dough is a lot easier with an electric mixer. You can do it by hand, but it'll take some muscle. 2 This frosting is the no-fail type. If it's too thick, add a bit more cream If it's too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. 3 [[Lisa Herman|'Lisa']]' says that when she's in a hurry and doesn't have time to make a frosting, she just sprinkles the cookies with a little powdered sugar while they're still warm. She does a second sprinkling when they're cool and calls it a day.'